posion & wine
by gold-hatted
Summary: And they're just trying to figure out a happy ending.


**poison & wine  
**and they're just trying to figure out a happy ending

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"Do you love me?"

"No, I don't."

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Yosano Suzume decides that Tokyo in the springtime is bright and colorful.

She makes this observation while sitting on a bench that resides in the middle of the park, adjacent to a tree. The tree is a new addition in the park, still young and full of hope. It is just a normal sakura tree, with pink leaves that flutter and twist and release and flow in the wind.

Suzume's eyes linger on the tree's leaves, captivated by the incandescent color, because it's rare to find such trees deep in the country side. She gazes at a particular leaf that begins to lose its grip on the tree. The wind picks up and rips the leaf away, swirling and twirling, before landing in front of a pair of sneakers.

Suzume glances up to find the man she is waiting for.

"S-Sensei," Suzume murmurs under her breath, staring into eyes that used to be full of life. Satsuki returns a smile, but it isn't the same smile Suzume was used to seeing in the school hallways. Suzume looks down at her feet, her long eyelashes brush against her flushed cheeks. "Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome, Chun-Chun!" Satsuki chimes, sitting next to her on the bench.

This is the first time they see each other since the encounter in the data room, he recalls. Satsuki stares at her, and he can see a bright, pink tint on her cheeks. His eyes shift to her thin, red lips and her sapphire, sky-like eyes. He decides that she looks very _lovely_.

"I-I wanted to tell you that I never stopped loving you, Sensei," Suzume confesses, avoiding eye contact. "I wanted to tell you that you never stopped being my daytime shooting star. I love you, Sensei, I really do."

She waits for him to _respond_, she waits for him to make a _move_.

But, he doesn't.

Satsuki remains silent because he doesn't want to make the same mistake he did before. He wants to tell her. He wants to tell her that he loves her _so much_, but he couldn't. No matter what he says, he will hurt her in the end. He doesn't know how to _comfort_ her, how to make her _happy_, how to always be there for her when she's_ sad_ or in _pain_.

_There's someone else you love. And that person... I'm sure... is not me._

"I'm glad," Suzume whispers under her breath, breaking the silence between them. "I'm glad Sensei doesn't love me back, because it would be hard to love someone who will live far apart from them."

Satsuki's eyes widen in disbelief. "Chun-Chun, I_—"_

"I'm leaving today," she announces, tears stain her pale, porcelain-like skin. "I'm moving back to my hometown."

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"Did you tell him you're leaving?"

Suzume looks up from her bag that is filled with neatly folded clothes. She glances at the Yuyuka, who is sitting on her bed, helping her pack. Suzume emits a long breath; the painful scene begins to play in her mind, like a record.

"Yes."

Yuyuka raises an eyebrow, waiting for a response. "What did he say?"

"Nothing."

"What? Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Yuyuka stares down to her lap, at her manicured nails, "Gomen ne."

Suzume manages to flash a smile, as if she isn't bothered by his response, but Yuyuka sees right through it. "Don't be sorry, Yuyuka-chan! S-Sensei didn't reject me this time! H-He didn't reject me..."

She stops when a teardrop rolls down her cheeks and falls onto the carpet, following by many more. Yuyuka stumbles off her bed, onto the floor where Suzume cries, and hugs her friend tightly, not letting go. Suzume sniffs and wheezes, grasping onto Yuyuka for dear life.

And there, in Suzume's bedroom, on the floor, Yuyuka comforts Suzume for the rest of the day.

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Satsuki stops going to Yukichi's pastry shop because it reminds him so much of_ her_. He replaces the bakery with bars, spending his nights drinking the memories of her away. But, no matter what, the guilt and the pain keeps haunting him, staining his mind and clawing at his heart.

_I never stopped loving you, Sensei. You never stopped being my daytime shooting star._

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Satsuki waits for her to contact him.

He hasn't heard or seen her since that day. He waits for one of her friends—_anyone_ in the entire school—to tell him about how she is doing. But, no one bothers to inform him of her status. Even Mamura doesn't look him in the eye or speak to him like he used to.

Satsuki feels lonely, lost. His (daytime shooting star) is _fading _away, and he couldn't do anything about it.

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After a year, he still waits for her. Satsuki waits for her to contact him.

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_Please come visit Tokyo. __We always come to visit you._

Suzume reads this on the bright screen of her phone one day, a message that is from Yuyuka. Her eyes stare at the screen, scanning over the message again, thinking of what to reply, when another set of words pop onto the screen.

_Don't you think it's time to see him again?_

Suzume decides not to reply.

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The closing ceremony is quickly approaching for the third year students in Satsuki's homeroom class. They've been practicing for the graduation ceremony for the past few days, and tomorrow would pay those exhausting rehearsals off.

Time has flown, he thinks. He can still remember the first day he became a teacher, the first time he met _her_.

After class, everyone piles out of the classroom, excited and ready for the final day. Yuyuka is the only one remaining, and she walks up to Satsuki's desk. He glances up from his paperwork to her bright, violet eyes. Then, Yuyuka whispers words that kindles more than "I love you" from Suzume.

"She's coming back."

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Suzume attends the ceremony.

Afterwards, many of her former teachers and classmates come to say their regards—everyone, except _him_. Suzume and the others celebrate at her uncle's pastry. Of course, Yukichi is honored to have the celebration at his shop and declares everything is on him.

She talks to Nana and Tsubomi about their future goals and plans. She even finds time to tease Mamura and Yuyuka who are in a relationship. But, deep down, she is genuinely happy for them; at least, they have _each other._

After the celebration, when everyone is leaving, she receives a text from _him—_

_I need to meet you._

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Later, Suzume returns to the same park, at the same bench from two years ago. It is dark, but the streetlights that scatter the park illuminate the scenery around her. She glances at the tree that is beside the bench, noticing how much it has flourished. It is tall, the tallest one in the park, and there are much more leaves on it than she recalls.

"It has grown a lot, hasn't it?"

Suzume jumps in shock before turning, finding Satsuki behind her, "S-Sensei."

He frowns, "You're no longer my student. You can call me Satsuki."

Suzume's eyes widen, and seeing how handsome Satsuki has gotten makes her blush and turn her head away in embarrassment. She tucks a few strands of amber hair behind her ear, then clears her throat. "S-Satsuki, I_—_"

Satsuki slowly leans closer to her. Suzume shudders when she feels his warmth against her skin. Her mind becomes blank when she takes in a mixture of coffee and cigarettes, the scent she misses the most. Without hesitation, Satsuki wraps his arms around her.

Oh, how Suzume longed to be in his arms.

"If you're going to apologize, then don't," he says, nuzzling his head in her hair. "I should be the one to apologize for not saying anything."

He releases her from his embrace, and Suzume suddenly feels cold, empty. She looks up to his gaze. His eyes, his smile... She misses those features, she misses _him_. Suzume is happy to see him back to his original self.

"I waited for you," he mutters, his gaze doesn't leave her. "I waited for you for _two years_."

Suzume parts her lips. She wants to ask why, but the words do not escape her mouth.

"I wanted you to know that I never stopped loving you," he whispers, inching closer to her. "I wanted you to know that you never stopped being my daytime shooting star. I love you, Suzume, I really do."

Then, he leans in, pressing his lips onto hers.

Suzume gasps and whimpers; tears are strolling down her cheeks because it feels too much like a _dream_ for this to be a reality.

To Satsuki, it is more than a dream—it is a moment that he had waited two years for. Her lips taste better than wine, than all of the alcoholic beverages he would drown himself in to get rid of her from his mind. They are better than a sip, a swirl, a savor of a flavor. They give him a glint of warmth that filters through his heart, striking a prism of overwhelming feelings.

He doesn't know how to _comfort_ her, how to make her _happy_, how to always be there for her when she's _sad_ or in _pain_.

But, he is more than willing to learn.

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"Do you love me?"

"I do."

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**end**


End file.
